Share stories at Kids in Crisis events
Students from southeastern Wisconsin will share stories about their mental health challenges with live audiences on Friday in Waukesha County and on May 2 in Milwaukee.
Students, parents, professionals and all community members are invited to attend the evening events organized by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The events feature young people’s voices as a way of connecting audiences with the realities of students’ experiences.
Attendees can “hear the stories of what these challenges are, and also hear the stories of what recovery looks like,” said Brenda Wesley, who previously led educational outreach with NAMI-Greater Milwaukee. “It takes a community to lift them up and give them hope and surround them.”
Erica Williams-Clark, a student at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, plans to talk about losing her cousin to suicide and the need for better mental health care.
TJ Esser, a student at Germantown High School, plans to talk about the need for better support for transgender students like himself to prevent anxiety and depression that can come from discrimination.
Dalin Kirn, a student at Shorewood High School, plans to talk about her experience as an adopted daughter from Cambodia, losing her birth mom and coping with depression.
Others will talk about working through suicidal thoughts, starting their own initiatives to raise awareness about mental health, and fighting for better resources.
They hope the events bring down stigma about mental health and push communities to better support people with mental health challenges.
The events build on reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin on youth mental health. Find the series at jsonline .com/kidsincrisis.